Dr. John Petillo Named Dean of the John F. Welch College of Business

News Story: March 1, 2009

Dr. John Petillo has been named dean of the John F. Welch College of Business according to an announcement by Dr. Thomas V. Forget, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Sacred Heart University. He began service on Monday, March 2.

SHU has been providing business education since 1965, just two years after its founding, and the MBA program was the University’s first graduate program. In January 2006, the College of Business was named for GE’s legendary former Chairman and CEO, Jack Welch. He noted that Dr. Petillo “brings with him an ideal combination of business experience and know-how plus a terrific academic grounding. He is as much at home in the boardroom as the classroom, and this is what our students need -- and demand -- in this challenging and competitive environment. I am thrilled to have John on board and am confident he is the perfect person to take the school to the next level.”

According to SHU President Anthony J. Cernera, Ph.D., “Sacred Heart University prides itself on educating the complete person – for success in one’s career and in the larger world. In Dr. Petillo, we have a man who embodies this approach. The John F. Welch College of Business continues to grow and to flourish, and Dean Petillo brings incredible strengths to the position: he is a leader for the 21st century.”

Dr. Petillo brings to the Welch College a rich background of leadership in both higher education and business. He has served as chancellor and chief executive officer of Seton Hall University and as president of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He was regional president of First Union Insurance Services and president and chief executive officer of the Newark Alliance, a distinctive private-public partnership to enhance the economy and quality of life of the City of Newark. Dr. Petillo earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classical Languages and a Master of Arts degree in Counseling from Seton Hall University, a Master of Divinity in Pastoral Theology from Darlington School of Theology, and a Professional Diploma in Counselor Education and a Ph.D. in Counseling and Personnel Services from Fordham University.

His selection as the dean represents the culmination of an intense national search. “In Dr. Petillo, we found a business practitioner and an educator of the first rank,” said Dr. Forget. “It’s no longer enough – if it ever was – to master business skills as if they were entirely independent of other important realities. He understands the global economic reality and values the new multicultural workforce. And he is committed to the need for continuous improvement and lifelong learning and the highest ethical standards. The new dean will guide our John F. Welch College of Business to even greater success in the years to come.”

Among an elite membership of fewer than 10% of business schools worldwide, the Welch College is accredited by AACSB International, the premier global accrediting body for schools of business. In 2008, the Welch College of Business was included among the Princeton Review's Best Business Schools.

The John F. Welch College of Business at Sacred Heart University offers numerous degree options including traditional full-time and part-time MBA programs, and a five-year program leading to a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree in business. It is one of the few business colleges to also offer a full-time MBA program designed specifically for students who have earned an undergraduate degree in the liberal arts and sci­ences. In addition to a new global investment program, professional certificates can be earned in accounting, corporate finance, international business, leadership, and marketing. Students in the Welch College of Business gain global perspectives from international study opportunities at SHU’s campus in Luxembourg, the only U.S. accredited MBA program in Luxembourg. The MBA program in Luxembourg has graduated business leaders from 30 different countries.